Steve Levy was named California's starting quarterback for the 108th Big Game on Thursday, replacing struggling Joe Ayoob in the Golden Bears' regular-season finale. Levy, a junior who played fullback last season, will make his first career start Saturday when Cal (6-4, 3-4 Pacific-10 Conference) travels across the San Francisco Bay to face archrival Stanford. Coach Jeff Tedford had hinted at the decision since last weekend, when Ayoob struggled in a 35-10 loss to No. 1 USC. The junior-college transfer had the latest in a series of poor performances, going 9-for-19 with four interceptions before getting benched in the fourth quarter. "Both Steve and Joe Ayoob had a good week of practice and will be ready to play," Tedford said Thursday. "This change also allows Joe an opportunity to observe the defense from a different perspective." Levy, who hadn't played since throwing a touchdown pass in the season opener against Sacramento State, went 4-for-4 against the Trojans and led Cal's only touchdown drive. He was a backup quarterback before an aborted one-year adventure as a fullback last season, when playing opportunities were scarce behind Aaron Rodgers. Levy and Ayoob weren't available to reporters after Thursday's practice at Memorial Stadium. "It's an honor to be able to start in the Big Game, where so many legends have played," Levy said in a statement. "I'm excited about the opportunity that's been given to me. Hopefully I can make something happen." The Bears were due for some sort of change after losing four of their last five games to ruin a 5-0 start to the season. But Tedford's decision to start Levy is an admission of the quarterback guru's frustration with his inability to reach Ayoob, one of the nation's top juco passers last season at City College of San Francisco. Ever since playing well in a last-minute loss to No. 11 UCLA, Ayoob has been tentative and inaccurate. In the last four games, Ayoob is 51-of-119 with 11 interceptions and just five touchdown passes -- four in a come-from-behind victory over Washington State.
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